LETTER OF THE WEEK

I have two recommendations regarding traffic and streets in Huntington

Beach, which are probably applicable to all cities in the county.

First is that the amount of water used on the landscaped medians be

reduced.

They look nice, but I think it must be possible to arrange them with

trees and plants that can survive on the water in the soil and dew. The

runoff from the sprinklers puts divots in the roads that turn into

potholes.

Second, I think it is definitely time that the entire city’s traffic

light system is reworked to maximize traffic flow. I have written to the

city about this before and got the response to “use Beach Boulevard or

Brookhurst Street, they are super-streets.”

While I appreciate that the major avenues have been engineered to

reduce stops, I think it needs to be expanded to the entire city. In many

of the cities I’ve visited, they attempt to have a “green wave” effect by

timing the traffic lights to allow cars to make as few stops as possible.

Aside from the benefit of reduced pollution and fuel use, the congestion

is also reduced considerably. I don’t know how feasible this is to do in

Huntington Beach, but it seems to me that it could be done better than it

currently is.

Traffic is getting heavier every year. The traffic on Beach Boulevard

when I leave work every day doesn’t flow very smoothly, and I leave work

between 6:30 and 7 p.m. (which is definitely after the peak).

Further, consider the traffic lights that change when a car pulls up

to the light. I’m not sure these are even useful on major (non-housing

tract) streets when you take the overall traffic flow into consideration.

Instead of anticipating an approaching car, it forces a car to stop,

which in my opinion, is always a bad thing.

Assuming these switch pad traffic lights are not detrimental to an

overall efficient system, these switches should be set to trigger the

predetermined timed cycle only when a car arrives at the switch. That

way, the timing of the other direction is not interrupted. Drivers would

benefit by having the green wave get bigger when there is no traffic

coming in from smaller streets.

I really think the only way these switches could help things is if

they could be triggered before a car gets to the light so the car isn’t

forced to stop.

I think the amount of time drivers wait at lights should be less of a

concern than the overall flow of traffic. It seems to me, that it is

better to reduce the number of stops drivers have to make, as opposed to

reducing the amount of time they are stopped.

Since the roads are unfortunately the only form of transportation we

have, we should maximize their efficiency. The residents will be happier

spending less time waiting at lights and more time doing the things they

need and want to do. JORDAN COOPER

Huntington Beach